Flatiron and process of making the same



W. H. J. FITZGERALD FLATIRON AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Nov. 3, 1925.

Filed July 13, 1921 Inventor. I William H.J. firzgeruld byMWyW Atty:

Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM H. J. FITZGERALD, OF BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS;

FLATIRON AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME.

Application filed July 13,

' I To all whom it mcm/ concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J FITZ- GERALD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Braintree, county of Norfolk,

State of Massachusetts, have invented an parts.

This invention relates to improvements in fiat-irons and the process of making the same; and the object thereof is to produce a flat-iron formed of superimposed members such as are employed in electrically heated flatirons which will prevent wastage of heat and which will also present a more perfect construction and pleasing appearance than flat-irons heretofore produced.

Usual fiat-iron constructions of the type which are provided with an electrical heating unit comprise a base member, a central member sometimes defined as a stove, which carries the heating element or to which the heating element is connected, and a hood which rests upon the base element and encloses the heating element or stove. These members are usually formed of cast metal, in the better class of-flat-irons, and are finished separately to substantially the required form and afterward assembled. No great care is used in providing a perfect fit between the parts or in producing correct exterior surfaces so that frequently the base projects a considerable distance beyond the edge ofthe hood or is unsymmetrlcal in relation thereto. Furthermore, the contacting edges of the hood and base members often 7 are imperfectly formed so that an appreciable space is left between them. This permits the circulation of air between the hood and the base which results in the loss of more or less heat from the heating element.

,In certain instances the base and superimassembled fit perfectly and present exterior 1921.. Serial No. 434,368.

surfaces which are svmmetrical, smooth and unbroken by reason of their assemblage.

A further object of the invention consists in providing a process by means of which a flat-iron of'this character mav be produced and in which the' exterior surfaces of the sunerimoosed parts maybe finished while in assembled position.

A' further object of the invention is to provide a process by which the parts of the fiat-iron may be electroplated while retained in assembled position so that the mating parts of the flat-iron willnot become separated and improperly assembled with the parts of other irons.

In short the object of the invention is to;

provide a novel process. of constructing fiatirons which will enable them to berapidly produced and which will insure perfectly" fitting parts having smooth, continuous exterior surfaces.

Other objects and features of the invention will more fully appear from the following description and the annexed drawings and will be pointed out in the accompanying claims.

The drawings illustrate a flat-iron embodying my invention and the mechanisms and apparatus employed in producing the same.

' In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a grinding machine which desirably is employed in surfacing the parts of theflat-iron and showing a flat-iron resting upon the table adjacent the grinding wheel;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the body of a flat-iron embodying my invention;

Fig. 3 is a View, partly in vertical section, of the same; v v

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same; 7

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional View of an electroplating tank showing a flat-iron embodying my invention 'i'nthe process of being plated; and Y Fig. 6 is an illustration of the body of a usual'type of iron illustrating the defects which are overcome by the present process in the production of a flat-iron embodying my invention.

The body of the'fiat-iron, which is illustrated herein and which is of a usual type of electrically heated fiat-iron, comprises a base 1 formed of cast metal such as iron, an intermediate member or stove 2 to which the usual heating element (not shown) is attached and interposed between. said member and the base 1 of the flat iron and a hollow hood 3, also of cast metal, the periphery of which conforms more or less accurately to the periphery of the base 1. In the novel process forming the subject-matter of my invention the bottom surface 4 and the top surface 5 of the base member are planed or preferably ground to present absolutely flat surfaces. This may be conveniently accomplished by grinding the surfaces upon a disk or ring grinder. A suitable grinder wh ch is illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a grinding disk 6 which is mounted upon a shaft 7 journaled in bearings 8 in. a suitable frame 9 and driven by a belt pulley 10 or in any other suitable manner. The grinder is provided with a table 11 which is attached by a pivotal joint 12 to a standard 13 which is adjustably mounted in a bracket 14 having a sleeve 15 adjustably secured upon a stud 16 projecting from a boss 17 on the frame 9. p

Any suitable grinding machine may, however, be employed, such as a grinding machine having instead of a grinding disk an annular ring presenting aflat grinding sur- 4 face.

In grinding the surfaces 4 and 5 of the base member said base is held fiat against the face'of the grinding disk with the edge of the flat iron resting upon the table which may be adjusted to a suitable height to secure the best results. A skillful workman is thus enabled to grind the bottom and top surfaces of the iron perfectly flat and in substantial parallelism. The under edge of the hood member of the flat iron is likewise is secured to the base by suitable bolts or screws 18 and the hood is placed upon the base member to enclose the stove member and is preferably secured to the latter by screws 19, the heads of which are countersunk slightly below the upper surface of the flatiron, so that the heads of the screws will not interfere with or beafi'ected by the surfacing of the hood in the manner hereinafter described. The screws 19 may be located in the holes in which the usual handle of the flat-iron is eventually secured. If desired the stove member may be omitted and the screws anchored directly in the base member in suitable holes having screw-threaded walls provided for this purpose. Dowel pins 20,

preferably are provided for the purpose of preventing relative movement of said members during the profiling and surfacing operations hereinafter described.

When the members of the fiat-iron have thus been assembled the exterior surfaces of the hood and base members are ground down upon the grinding wheel, the flat-iron being rest-ed upon the table and manipulated in such a manner as to reduce or profile the exterior of the iron to the desired form. Preferably a substantially vertical surface extends upwardly from the bottom of the base a short distance above the bottom of the hood and then merges into the curved ground portion of the hood. The end of the flat-iron may be similarly ground to present a plane surfacesubstantially normal to the base. By thus reducing the exterior of both the base and the hood to its final form while in assembled position a perfect exterior surface may be produced in which the surfaces of the hood member merge into the respective surfaces of the base portion continuously and without a break.

Another feature of the invention consists in electroplating and finally finishing all the hood and base members of the iron without dismantling the same. As heretofore stated it is usual to electroplate the base and hood members of the iron separately and then to reassemble them. During this procedure the parts of the iron, which theretofore had possibly been mated, are frequently separated and assembled with other ill-fitting parts. In the present invention the screws or fastenings, which secure the hood to. the base are merely backed off or released sufliciently to separate the base from the hood. The parts of the iron thus connected together are then hung upon a suitable support which may be a hook 21, the upturned ends 2-2 of which are inserted in usual holes 23 in the hood through which the electric wires leading to the heating unit are introduced in the completed flat iron. The flatiron may then be introduced into a suitable electrolyte 24 contained in a tank 25, the

hook 21 being hung upon an insulated bar 26 supported upon the upper end of the tank. Conductors 27 and 28 leading from a battery 29 to the hook 21 and to a suitable anode. 3O suspended in the electrolyte provide means for conducting the current required to produce an electrical deposition of a plating metal upon the surface of the members of the flat-iron which are suspended in the electrolyte. After the electroplating is completed the screws 19 may again be set up and the complete surface of the iron burnished in the usual manner. After these members of the iron have thus been finished the heating element may be introduced and the usual handle attached.

extending into the base and hood members, By reason of the process of manufacture above described it will be noted that the hood and base members remain in assembled condition during the grinding of the exterior surface of the iron and also during the electroplating operation so that the mating parts are always connected and the danger of mismating these parts of the iron is entirely avoided. There is no reason for mismating the parts when the stoves are being introduced, as but one iron is handled at such time and consequently the present novel process results in the production of perfect irons.

It will also be observed that by reason of the proper grinding of the contacting portions of the base and hood members a perfect fit between these members is insured which will prevent the possibility of air space between the hood and base which will permit circulation of air therebetween and :onsequently loss of heat in the heating member such as occurs in old imperfect constructions like that illustrated in Fig. 6.

Vhile I have described a grinder as a preferred means for treating the surfaces of the base member and hood, it will be understood that other means such as a planer or milling machine may be employed to reduce the surfaces of the base and hood members to final form and that other variations in the process and article may be made within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. The process of manufacturing flatirons comprising a base member having a hollow hood member superimposed thereon, which consists in grinding the contacting surfaces of said members to provide a perfect fit therebetween, then rigidly securing said members together in assembled position, and grinding the exterior of said members while thus assembled to final form.

2. The process of manufacturing fiatirons comprising a base member having a hollow hood member superimposedthereon,

which consists in grinding the upper peripheral portion of the base member to an accurate plane surface, grinding the under face of the edge of the hollow hood member to an accurate plane surface adapted to fit tightly upon the ground peripheral surface of said base, then rigidly securing said members together in assembled position by connecting means lying wholly within the outer surfaces of said members, and grinding the exterior of said members while thus assembled to final form.

3. The process of manufacturing flatirons comprising a base member having a hollow hood member superimposed thereon, which consists in reducing the contacting surfaces of said members to provide av perfect fit therebetween, then rigidly securing said members together in assembled posi tion and reducing the exterior of said members while thus assembled to final form, separating the contacting surfaces of said hood and base members without disconnecting the same, and electroplating said members.

t. The process of manufacturing flatirons comprising a base member having a hollow hood member superimposed thereon, which consists in grinding the entire upper surface of the base member to an accurate plane surface, grinding the under edgeof bers have been assembled, whereby the continuity of each of said surfaces is insured. In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM H. J. FITZGERALD. 

